SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?50%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown7 of 8 below good
Medicines optimisationSignificant shortfalls
Involving people to manage risksSome shortfalls
Learning cultureSome shortfalls
Safe and effective staffingSome shortfalls
Safe environmentsSome shortfalls
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsSome shortfalls
SafeguardingSome shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?50%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown6 of 6 below good
Assessing needsSome shortfalls
Consent to care and treatmentSome shortfalls
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentSome shortfalls
How staff, teams and services work togetherSome shortfalls
Monitoring and improving outcomesSome shortfalls
Supporting people to live healthier livesSome shortfalls
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?65%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown2 of 5 below good
Responding to people's immediate needsSome shortfalls
Workforce wellbeing and enablementSome shortfalls
Independence, choice and controlGood
Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
Treating people as individualsGood
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?68%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown2 of 7 below good
Care provision, integration and continuitySome shortfalls
Listening to and involving peopleSome shortfalls
Equity in accessGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Person-centred careGood
Planning for the futureGood
Providing InformationGood
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?54%Requires improvement
See the breakdownHide the breakdown6 of 7 below good
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersSome shortfalls
Freedom to speak upSome shortfalls
Governance, management and sustainabilitySome shortfalls
Learning, improvement and innovationSome shortfalls
Shared direction and cultureSome shortfalls
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionSome shortfalls
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 10 good, 23 below good. Use “See the breakdown” on each key question for its standards. ?
CQC hasn't inspected this home for more than 5 years. It re-inspects based on risk, so an old rating doesn't count against a home on this site, but it may not reflect the home today. ?
Riverside House is in the Requires improvement tier ?, with 7 other homes in Northumberland.
91% of rated homes here are Good or Outstanding (England: 82%).
Riverside House is an independent 46-bed residential care home in Morpeth, Northumberland, registered with CQC under its own name. Its CQC registration covers older people, people with dementia, younger adults and people with a physical disability.
The kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good), from April 2026. 95% of homes in Northumberland also score 5. Across Northumberland, 91% of rated homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82% for England. Bluebell Manor, 0.5 km away, is the closest home rated Good.
The current CQC rating is Requires improvement, published in February 2026. Safe, effective and well-led were also Requires improvement. Caring and responsive were rated Good. That is down from Good in November 2019. Ratings in Northumberland are typically about 3 years old, which makes this one newer than most. 23 of its 33 scored standards were below good, including “medicines optimisation”.
